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Compilation (1983).

Another compilation released betwixt studio albums, 'The First Four Years' is essentially a repackaging of Black Flag's first three E.P.s 'Nervous Breakdown,' 'Jealous Again' and 'Six Pack,' the single 'Louie, Louie' and a couple of additional songs. While it may be seen as a lazy collection in this regard, it at least offers the fans a chance to hear these songs without having to pay extortionate amounts to do so, especially now the originals have been out of print for so long.

Despite lasting only twenty-four minutes, this is still of passable length for a punk album and could easily be taken as a full-length release if not for the tell-tale shifting of singers and sound quality at several junctures. Greg Ginn's clunky guitar is the solid driving force that keeps everything together, though interestingly becomes grittier and harsher along with the vocals as the songs continue, and Black Flag's pionerring hardcore punk sound can clearly be heard evolving from more standard Ramones-esque fare in the first four songs through to the experimental aggression of 'Damaged I.'

This is a more streamlined and less problematic release than its predecessor 'Everything Went Black,' but should only be seen as a supplementary release after the studio albums, though at least saves fans the trouble of tracking down the rare E.P.s.